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GLITAZONES

A NEWER CLASS OF MEDICATIONS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES MUST BE USED CAUTIOUSLY, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS

Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone are two of a class of much-prescribed medications for type 2 diabetes that have increasingly come under fire. Rosiglitazone has actually been removed from the market in Europe, and Wendy Bennett, an internal medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins, explains that here in the US, most everyone is using pioglitazone.

BENNETT: Providers donít have much choice now because the FDA has required all doctors who have patients on rosiglitazone, we have to prove to the FDA that the patient cannot take anything else, but in general weíre advocating that patients do not take rosiglitazone, and for the most part it seems that pioglitazone is safer but I think there needs to be more studies on pioglitazone, so I would still advocate metformin as the first line agent. :28